A song about an imaginary cat made me cry today. Weird huh? The song is called “Virtute The Cat Explains Her Departure” by Canadian indie outfit The Weakerthans. The album is curiously called “Reunion Tour” (at no point did they disband since the last album) and was one of my favourite albums of 2007.

If, like most Australians, you aren’t familiar with them, think The Mountain Goats crossed with Death Cab For Cutie. Their songs are certainly catchy, but what makes this band special is singer John K. Samson’s self-conscious, melancholy yet forcefully literate musings. His lyrics seem to meander, but are amazingly concise, and every three minutes you are taken on an emotional journey.

On the surface, the songs are catchy, alt-pop foot-tappers, but once you delve into the meanings behind the lyric, there is no turning back. And this is what happened to me today. I must have listened to this album 100 times since I bought it, and whilst some songs hit me right away, this one was a bit of a creeper.

Virtute actually made an appearance on their previous album “Reconstruction Site” - the song is called “Plea From A Cat Named Virtute” and involves the beloved pet offering consolation and advice to an obviously dejected and increasingly neglectful owner.

As you’d expect then, “Virtute The Cat Explains Her Departure” sets the scene with Virtute’s escape. Then, after a particularly brutal winter during which she loses the tips of her ears, she reminisces about her old home and how she would “knead into your chest while you were sleeping, shallow breathing made me purr.” Finally, she comes to the sad realisation that she can no longer remember the name her owner had given her. Its an amazingly powerful song, and Samson’s vocals just tear at the heart-strings. I may have to skip past this song the next few weeks.

Samson is a welcome anomaly in modern music. It makes me wonder what my cat thinks of me…

One of my favourite unsigned local artists is Anna Weatherup. This chick has the most amazing voice and is starting to generate quite a buzz around Brisbane. March 6th will see the launch of her first EP Truth at the Globe Theatre, Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley. The first single off the EP - “Real” - made it to number 1 the Triple J Unearthed Rock charts (number 4 on the overall chart.)

You think that I’d know better this time
God give me strength tonight
                - Anna Weatherup

She plays on her own, with just her Maton guitar, her stomp box and her amazing voice. And her EP is no exception. I spoke with her about the recording process, and she said she did record extra guitar, bass and drums, and in the end scrapped the lot of it to keep the same feel you get when you see her play.

Her Unearthed profile suggests she sounds like Mia Dyson, Alanis Morisette, or Sarah McLachlan. She does do a wonderful acoustic version of Silence (Delirium featuring Sarah McLachlin), my you can also make comparisons to other Aussie breakthrough artists like Missy Higgins, The Waifs and Lisa Mitchell.

Speaking of the Waifs, last year, they were rushed to Australia to fill the headlining spot for the Splendour in the Grass music festival at Byron Bay (I can’t recall who pulled out - I’ll get back to you.) Anways, Anna was playing at a cafe in the Brunswick St mall around that time and did a version of Lighthouse, by the Waifs. One of the sisters, who happened to be walking past, felt compelled to come and tell Anna that she sang that song better than they did!

Next Thursday, she is supported by two wonderful immerging artists: Madeleine Paige & Shelly Evans. Tickets are $15 at the door or $12 from OzTix.

I got into a lot of new music watching extreme sports movies, especially Mack Dawg and the Total Board snowboarding series. Groups like Weezer, Method Man and Red Man, Sick Of It All, Thumb, Black Eyed Peas (before Fergie ruined them), Greyboy, and my absolute favourite, Incubus. I remember it like it was yesterday… It was called TB7 North of Heaven, I bought it on VHS, and my world shifted watching these guys assault the most insane terrain to Incubus’s straight out hardcore sound.

Extreme sports releases have a great track record when it comes to soundtracks; Hollywood, big-budget releases less so. They try and catch a ride on some band’s credibility to make their multi-million dollar action sequence all the more exciting - sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s almost as bad as commercials, except commercials you have to watch over and over again. Which is why I can’t stand commercial radio .. over and over and over they play the same crap that the record companies force upon them. And the ads! Why are there so many ads!?

So anyways, I came across a band called Flyleaf while watching the new Die Hard movie. Bruce Willis swings by to pick up Mac Guy who has some music video on a screen in the background. The female vocalist has a scream that jarred my soul out of it’s complacency. Oh my god - who is that and how do I get my hands on a copy!? A few Google searches later, and I’m all over the topic - the band is Flyleaf, the singer is Lacey Mosley, and the song is I’m So Sick.

I will break into your thoughts
With what’s written on my heart
                        - Flyleaf

Here’s the bad news. The 30 seconds we hear on the movie is the best part of that song. The rest of the song sounds like a collaboration between Avril Lavigne and the Veronicas. That’s not to say it’s not good - it’s fine, if that’s what you’re into. But, you know, like with everything out of Hollywood, I feel that the makers of Die Hard misrepresented this band.

I’ve given the album a bit of a listen, and at first I was disappointed with my new purchase. But after another listen, I’ve begun to hear more to this band. Flyleaf is young, raw, still growing, and full of energy. On stage, they are passionate and fun to watch. In their songs, they are honest and searching, spiritual and hopeful. Are you tired of bands who wallow in despair or rage? Flyleaf goes to those places and then comes out on the other side. There’s almost an innocence about them.

I don’t think their album does them justice - capturing a live feel must be about the hardest thing for a band to do. I have no evidence to back that up as I’m far from a musician myself. But hey, this is a blog, not a thesis. But check them out playing live on the Family Values Tour 2006.

Lacey looks like an Olsen, at times she sounds like a Veronica, but by Christ she has a set of lungs on her. She reminds me a little of Morgan Lander from Kittie. I think I’m in love…

As Easter approaches, so to does the East Coast Blues & Roots festival, held in Byron Bay every Easter long weekend. This year its going to be massive, with the likes of The Black Crowes, John Butler Trio, Wilco, Jeff Martin, Sinead O’Connor, Keith Urban, Eskimo Joe, Maceo Parker, Don McLean, Gotye, Clare Bowditch, plus Angus and Julia Stone.

As with all music festivals, the ticket price grows with the festival’s success. This year, to attend for just three of the five days is $300+. Worth it, when you look at it in a purely economic “cost-per-band” perspective, but still expensive when you look at it in a “I will need to eat at some point in time” perspective. When you add on top of that the cost of staying in or around Byron, it becomes an even more expensive exercise.

So, for those of us on a budget, who won’t be attending this year’s Blues and Roots, there is an alternative! Friday 22nd February at the Globe Theatre in Fortitude Valley, you can get your fix of local blues and roots from some of Brisbane’s hottest immerging artists. Bold, honest and raw, Tim Loydell & the Deckchairs, Anna Weatherup, and The Rooftops have each been making waves around the city, state and country, with their organic sounds and cruising grooves.

Tim Loydell & the Deckchairs

When The Rooftops launched their debut album, Storm Season in mid 2006, Rave Magazine predicted it would be “mandatory Summer listening”. Triple J agreed, with the first single “Making Photographs” enjoying regular airplay. Host Sarah Howells (Roots & All) claims it as ‘One of my favourite songs of this Summer..so cruisy and full of sunshine”.

Tim Loydell & The Deckchairs, although all under 20, are incredible masters of their instruments. They write evocative songs, which talk honestly and openly to their loyal fans. Tim commands attention with his prodigious guitar playing & powerful voice; and with the added colour of lap steel guitar, these boys are certain to take the festival circuit by storm.

Anna Weatherup is originally from Townsville, but Brisbane audiences have well and truly claimed her as their own! Anna, in her trademark singlet and jeans, is full of energy and life. She can capture the ears and hearts of a huge audience simply with her guitar, her incredible voice and “stompy” (her stomp-box). Once you see Anna play, you’ll be her fan forever.

Let Byron have its latte-set festival. If you like it raw and dirty, I’ll see you there next week!

For those who don’t know, the Big Day Out is an annual music festival touring Australia and New Zealand. It orginated in Sydney in 1992, and has since grown to include Melbourne, the Gold Coast, Adelaide, Perth and Auckland.

I’ve been regularly attending the Gold Coast BDO for more years than I care to remember (the Gold Coast being the closest BDO to Brisbane.) This year was no exception.

On first impressions, the line-up was fairly unremarkable, with the notable exception of the recently reformed Rage Against The Machine. On the back of that news, Gold Coast tickets sold out in record time (by 10am on the day they went on sale.) Tickets in Sydney have been regularly selling out within an hour in recent years, but even with Tool headlining last year, Gold Coast tickets were available for days after their release.

Usually, once the schedule comes out, I have it printed out and I begin planning out my day - who I want to see when. This year, I didn’t really look too hard at it - I figured it’s usually a top day anyways, and because there was noone I desperately had to see, I’ll catch up with my festival-going buddies and maybe see some acts I otherwise wouldn’t have. And I’m glad as hell I did.

Enter Shikari set the scene early - a British harcore four-piece when the singer yelled “Don’t you people fkn crowd-surf!? Pull yer socks up Australia!” I had never heard of these guys before, but I went out the next day and bought their Take to the Skies album. They seem to be striving for a new sound, mixing metal with keyboards and sequencers. At times, the album feels a little awkward, mashing together these seemingly incompatible styles, and it certainly doesn’t quite capture their live presence. Can’t wait for the next album though - they seem to have matured as a band from the time the album came out to the time I saw them.

Battles was another highlight. When I first heard their Mirrored album, I was equal parts intrigued and confused. But the more I listened to it, the more it tunneled into my consciousness. These guys use talent and technology to create textured soundscapes, the likes of which you’ve never heard. Their live show was an experimental tour de force, which lifted me for the better part of an hour, and left me physically and mentally exhausted.

The Big Day Out is always filled with solid Aussie acts and this year was no exception, which the likes of Paul Kelly, Sarah Blasko, Karnivool, Gyroscope, Grinspoon and Blue King Brown.

The biggest disappointment for me was the Arcade Fire. Neon Bible was one of my albums of 2007, but live, they didn’t cut it on the day. Silverchair were likewise unimpressive. And the Hilltop Hoods - well, those guys have done the same show for more than two years, the same set, the same crowd interaction, the same “freestyle”…

If you’ve never been to a Big Day Out, do yourself a favour and go! Just wait until I’ve got my ticket first